Putin announces martial law in 4 annexed Ukrainian provinces

Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday that he had declared martial law in four Ukrainian territories that Moscow had previously controlled and anne.

Putin also gave the go-ahead for the establishment of a special coordinating council, headed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, to coordinate with the Russian regions and support Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine in televised remarks to members of his Security Council.

The actions made nearly eight months into the conflict represented Putin’s most recent escalation in an effort to avenge a string of significant losses suffered by Ukrainian forces since the beginning of September.

In order to support what Russia refers to as its special military operation, Putin said the measures he was directing would strengthen the stability of the economy, industry, and production.

“We are working on solving very complex, large-scale tasks to ensure a reliable future for Russia, the future of our people,” he said.